Arizona's Hollis-Jefferson thankful for more than East Coast trip

Arizona forward and Chester High product Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, right, defends San Diego State forward JJ O’Brien during Arizona’s 69-60 win Nov. 14. Hollis-Jefferson, the two-time Daily Times boys basketball Player of the Year who led the Clippers to back-to-back state titles, is making the most of his freshman year out west. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

The Chester native, who’s excelling in his freshman season with the Arizona men’s basketball team, packed his bags in July and headed west. Those two summer classes in which he was enrolled? He got As in both.

Easy, right?

“I wouldn’t say easy,” Hollis-Jefferson said by telephone, laughing.

The 18-year-old is coming home for Thanksgiving, so to speak, but it’s bound to be an atypical holiday. He’ll celebrate it with his Arizona teammates in New York City, Hollis-Jefferson’s only East Coast trip this season. The Wildcats (5-0) take on Drexel (3-1) Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Tip-Off tournament, then play Friday against an opponent to be determined.

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Moving to Tucson, Ariz., hasn’t altered Hollis-Jefferson’s priorities. The two-time Daily Times boys basketball Player of the Year speaks daily with his mother, Rylanda, and video-chats with his elder brother, Rahlir, a fellow Chester star who graduated from Temple last May and is playing professionally in Germany.

“We FaceTime as much as possible,” Rondae said, “but with the time difference, he’s calling me as I’m trying to sleep.”

The West Coast move hasn’t changed the East Coast kid, physical conditioning notwithstanding.

Hollis-Jefferson, a 6-8 forward who’s bulked up to 218 pounds, is one of the regulars in Arizona coach Sean Miller’s seven-man rotation. Coming off the bench for the first time since his sophomore season at Chester High, he’s averaging 10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.2 minutes per game. He’s shooting 68 percent from the floor (17-for-25).

Those numbers, Hollis-Jefferson said, reflect his desire to buy into Miller’s system.

“The coaches always say, ‘Honor the process,’ and ‘Are you all in?’” Hollis-Jefferson said. “A lot of what I learned was at Chester. But our coaches here tell us it comes down to how good I can be this Saturday to next Saturday. I try to improve week to week, and on everything my coaches ask of me.

“You can tell when a team (messes around) the week before. When that happens, the odds are against you.”

Hollis-Jefferson’s decorated career at Chester includes winning two PIAA Class AAAA titles, being a part of the Clippers’ first undefeated season in program history, becoming a 1,000-point scorer and topping his brother’s all-time rebound record. Those accomplishments earned him a scholarship to Arizona, and a place among CBS’ preseason top-30 freshmen rankings.

Those don’t matter, Hollis-Jefferson said, but they might be a bridge to something that does.

Hollis-Jefferson would love nothing more than to one day play in the NBA, to help him support his family and his hometown — two things for which he’s very thankful this Thanksgiving holiday.

“I’d tell anyone reading this to come and support me (in New York) this week and show they care,” Hollis-Jefferson said, “because once I get the opportunity to help the city, I will do as much as I can. I love my city. I love where I’m from. I’ll stick by Chester forever.”